Simon Vickers was said to have struck the killer knife blow in a fit of anger at Scarlett Vickers, 14, after she called him a ‘wimp’ during what he insisted was a “play fight” in the family kitchen
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Judge tells Simon Vickers ‘you must now face the consequences’
The dad found guilty of murdering his daughter was offered a ‘plea bargain’ deal but elected to fight to clear his name, The Mirror can reveal.
Simon Vickers was said to have struck the killer knife blow in a fit of anger at Scarlett Vickers, 14, after she called him a ‘wimp’.
The 50-year-old factory worker must serve a minimum of 15 years after stabbing his only child in the heart, causing fatal injuries. But he was offered the chance to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter.
The prosecution was prepared to accept that plea to the lesser charge. He was advised that could have meant a much shorter jail term of 5-10 years, meaning that he may have been released after just two years in the best case scenario given the 217 days which he spent on remand. But he wanted to fight to clear his name.
Scarlett Vickers ( Image:
TikTok) A source close to the case told the Mirror : “He could have been out in 2-5 years if he had pleaded guilty to manslaughter. But he did not want to do that. He said that there was no intent there so he did not want to admit to that.”
Teesside Crown Court heard Vickers had given various versions of how the tragedy happened, including ‘throwing’ the blade at her accidentally in a ‘play fight’ in the kitchen of their home in Darlington, Co Durham last July. Scarlett’s mum Sarah Hall, his parents Barrie and Pat and their families are standing by him.
Sarah’s sister Rebecca Hall said: “They were messing around, there was no aggression. She did not say anything like ‘dad has a knife’ or ‘he is going to hurt me’. Surely she would have said something beforehand?” But a jury found Vickers guilty of murder after an expert said it was ‘practically impossible’ to cause the fatal injury in the way which he claimed.
Teesside Crown Court heard Scarlett’s mum Sarah Hall had pinched Vickers on the bottom with kitchen tongs moments before the fatal blow was struck. He reacted by saying ‘ow’ and Scarlett told him: ‘Dad, don’t be a wimp’.
Scarlett Vickers ( Image:
Durham Constabulary) Sarah turned away and when she turned back, she found her daughter with blood pouring from the knife wound to the heart. Jailing him for 15 years earlier this month, Judge Mr Justice Cotter was satisfied that Vickers had acted in a ‘devastating’ moment of anger and was intent on causing serious harm even if he did not intend to kill. Mark McKone KC, prosecuting, said that Vickers had a previous conviction from 1993 when he was 19 for wounding with intent with a Stanley knife.
He was sentenced to two years in jail for that crime and also had a conviction for minor dishonesty in 1999. But the judge ruled that the convictions were too long ago to be taken into account in his sentence for murder for the knife crime. Nicholas Lumley KC, for Vickers, said that he and Scarlett’s mum’s Sarah Hall were serving life sentences ‘from which they will never be freed’ due to the loss of their only child.